Play head disappearing in SF18 Pro

Paul-Fegan wrote on 4/16/2026, 12:28 PM

Occasionally, when I launch SF 18 Pro, the play head disappears. If I quit SF and re-open it, it's still gone. Nothing short of a PC reboot seems to solve it and I don't want to do that every time I want to use SF (I keep my PC in sleep mode when not in use, but with SF closed).

I have tried toggling "Seek Cursor on Playback", but to no avail.

I have also seen that an SF reset will resolve it, but I don't want to have to set up all my options and preferences every time this happens.

Is there a fix for it beyond rebooting? This used to happen with SF13 or 14, but only if your PC was offline for a month or so. It was more to do with licence verification, I think. But on this PC where I have SF 18 Pro, I'm always online, so that doesn't seem to be the cause.

Any help gratefully received. Cheers.

Comments

rraud wrote on 4/18/2026, 11:19 AM

Hi @Paul-Fegan , do you have 'Scroll Playback' (F6) enabled and 'Seek cursor on playback' (F) in the 'Options' menu enabled? That can cause the cursor to move off-screen. Also try selecting 'Edit> Center cursor' (\ or .) when it disappears.

If you do try a reset and wish to save some of the custom settings, the Keyboard shortcuts and Window layout files are in
C:\Users\-user name-\AppData\Roaming\MAGIX\SOUND FORGE Pro\18.
Some others are in C:\Users\-user name-\AppData\Local\MAGIX\SOUND FORGE Pro\18
The toolbar layout and such is in the registry, Those entries can be exported/imported.

btw, you can try the new BorisFX version (Sound Forge 2026). The double-click speed issue was addressed. Otherwise there is no other changes that I have encountered.. but I have not used it much yet.

Paul-Fegan wrote on 4/20/2026, 8:04 AM

Hi Rick, thanks for all that. I had toggled F and also tried \ to centre the play head, but to no avail. I haven't tried F6, but at one point, I zoomed out from the wave form and could definitely see which part of the audio file was playing and the cursor/play head wasn't showing. Even when I place it myself, it doesn't show on playback. So, I think it's a case of exporting the settings you mentioned, or re-booting the PC. Frustrating, but not the end of the world.

I received the emails from BorisFX about the transition from MAGIX, but I hadn't seen anything specifically relating to SF. So, are SF18 Pro users eligible to update to SF 2026?

Many thanks.

SP. wrote on 4/20/2026, 8:12 AM

@Paul-Fegan You can get the paid upgrade from SF18 to SF 2026. Currently there is also a 25% off spring sale at Boris FX

In case you purchased SF18 in 2026 the upgrade will be free. If this applies to you, you need to ask Boris FX customer support directly. Make sure your Boris FX customer account has the same e-mail address as your Magix customer account. Then the support can check your eligibility.

Paul-Fegan wrote on 4/20/2026, 8:25 AM

Ah, I see. No worries, SP. I bought SF 18 Pro last year, so I wouldn't be eligible. I'll wait for a later version when there are a few more improvements. Looking forward to seeing what Boris FX do with it.

Thanks a mill.

rraud wrote on 4/20/2026, 2:38 PM

Hi Paul, I do not recall reports of that cursor issue. I would try a reset/cache clear, even if it means redoing your customization settings , or.. If you do a basic reinstall, I think a lot of your custom settings would remain. but it may not resolve the problem. I would back-up what settings you can in any case . I can state the pertinent SFP-18 registry path if you want it.

Paul-Fegan wrote on 4/21/2026, 3:49 AM

Hi Rick, I'll try resetting the cache tonight when I go home (I only have 18 Pro on my home editing PC) and see if that works. I'm not majorly comfortable editing the registry, so if it comes to it, I'll reboot to solve the problem each time it happens (it only seems to happen after several weeks between PC reboots). It's interesting that a reboot fixes it, but closing the application doesn't. It suggests that something remains running even after you close SF. Maybe I should look at Task Manager and see if there's a process I can stop each time I close SF. Anyway, thanks a mill for your offer of detailed help.

SP. wrote on 4/21/2026, 4:03 AM

@Paul-Fegan Another idea, you could try to check Windows system files for corruptions and repair them. For this, open the command prompt as administrator and type

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

and press Enter. This downloads up-to-date recovery files from Microsoft. Then type

sfc /scannow

and press Enter. This checks all system files and tries to repair them with the help of the recovery files.

After that, reboot your computer with the Restart option, not the Shut down option.

This can help with stability problems, but maybe also with the cursor problem.

Paul-Fegan wrote on 4/21/2026, 4:11 AM

OK, superb, SP. Is this the same with Win 10 and 11? I'll try this tonight also.

Many thanks.